3 militants believed to be trapped in an encounter in Kashmir’s Handwara

Officials said the operation was launched on Thursday morning after information about two to three militants hiding in Shatgund village.

Three militants, including scholar-turned-terrorist Manan Wani, are believed to have been trapped in an encounter at Handwara in frontier district of north Kashmir, officials said Thursday.

The administration has snapped internet connectivity in Kupwara district. (HT File Photo)

The Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday launched a joint operation in a village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district following an input about the presence of militants in the area.

Officials said the operation was launched on Thursday morning after information about two to three militants hiding in Shatgund village. Some gunshots were also heard in the area.

The administration has snapped internet connectivity in Kupwara district and closed schools and colleges in Sopore and Pattan sub-divisions of Baramulla as well as Pulwama district.

Wani, who was enrolled as a PhD scholar with the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), joined militant ranks in January this year.